Panel Parts
Welcome to another edition of Dodson’s Japanese PartsWorld blog where today we will be talking Body Panels.
We have previously discussed car repairs which you can do yourself versus the more advanced repairs which require professional assistance to install to your vehicle. In today’s urban driving environment (especially Auckland) it’s not uncommon to be involved in a fender bender which can leave us anxious about how to handle the damage to your car, van or truck. You will be glad to hear that there are many body repairs which you can actually do yourself without breaking the bank. Handily, we at Dodson’s have a large array of body panels to get you back on the road.
Replacement Panels
‘Nose-to-tails’ are the most common type of collision on New Zealand roads.
In terms of vehicle damage, the first parts to suffer can include your bumper, bonnet and headlights. On the other end the damage takes in the rear bumper, lights and boot or hatch. In most cases, some or all of these are attached to the chassis by a handful of bolts and have been designed for easy assembly and disassembly. Bonnets are most often held in by 4 small bolts, two residing on each side and can be done at home – you will require a wrench and some common sockets in the 10-19mm range. (note: one tell-tale sign of a good installation are ‘shut lines’). These are the gaps which form all around your newly-installed panel – make sure they are uniform all the way around!). Just be careful when handling any attachments which still may be on the panel when installing, for example some of the common Mitsubishi and Nissan bonnets have delicate washer hoses which fray over time. Front and rear bumpers are also relatively easy work for a budding DIY-er, being held in by small bolts or screws attaching to the chassis.
Restoration Parts
The team at Dodson’s also stocks front and rear quarter panels, doors and various panel trim for most Japanese makes and models, and if we haven’t got it, chances are we can find it, for those of us out there with a restoration project tucked away in the man-cave. We also service commercial automotive businesses in the wider region who need panel and exterior parts for those repairs which require an expert hand. Some panels are easier to work such as modern Japanese front quarters and doors (remember those shut lines!). Some of the older English classics like the Mk1 Ford Escort had the quarter panels stick-welded to the chassis and would require a trip to your local panel-beater to replace or restore. This is not the case with a lot of contemporary New Zealand fleet such as the Honda Civic, Mazda 6, Subaru Outback and many others keeping our roads busy.
Modification Parts
As many of us enjoy driving our vehicles and some of us love modifying our cars, a great option to personalise our steeds is to install aftermarket body panels such as spoilers, wheel arches, bonnet scoops and vents, side skirts. These add aerodynamic properties like downforce, but, more importantly just look good. Various exterior parts can easily snap off and need to be replaced. If you are looking for that broken monsoon shield for your Nissan Terrano, or that front skirt for your Mitsubishi Evolution which scraped off on the speed bump because your coil-overs were wound down too low – Dodson’s Japanese Partsworld is the place to track it down. Give us a ring today and talk to us about that body panel part you need.